Increase in missing person incidents in 2025, mainly driven by youth: WPS report

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The Windsor Police Service responded to an increasing number of missing person incidents in 2025, but it was driven by a fewer number of people, mainly youth.

According to an annual report, the service responded to 1,635 missing person incident reports in Windsor and Amherstburg, averaging 4.48 incidents per day, representing an over 16 per cent increase over the 1,407 incidents in 2024.

But the number of distinct individuals reported missing declined to 488 persons, a 15.4 per cent decrease compared to the 577 individuals in 2024.

Missing Person Investigations Risk Coordinator Constable Ron Berovici says the takeaway is pretty clear.

“It’s not a contradiction; it’s concentration. Fewer people but more frequent and more complex missing person events. If I could provide a metaphor for it, it’s like a shoreline where the waves hit harder in fewer places,” he says.

Young people between the ages of 12 and 17 continue to drive the majority of cases, with 139 accounting for 1,227 incidents, or 75 per cent of all reported cases in 2025.

Girls also make up 70 per cent of the youth cases.

Berovici says it’s a concentration of risk within a small cohort of highly vulnerable young people who are stuck in what he calls a ‘cycle of isolation’.

“The patterns are tied to deeper challenges like mental health issues, family instability, potential placement disruption, high exposure to high-risk environments, and sometimes even drug and alcohol use,” he says. “These are often called the root causes, but I kind of call it the undiscovered truth.”

The Windsor Police Service has been working with several community partners to address the reasons around why people go missing, including the Youth Wellness Hub Windsor-Essex, the Windsor-Essex Children’s Aid Society, and the Canadian Mental Health Association as part of shifting the approach from reactive policing to a broader, prevention-focused model.

Berovici says they’re focused on the most vulnerable in the community to help reduce the number of incidents.

“The challenge moving forward is not simply to respond to incidents but to break the cycle of repeat missingness through early intervention, sustained support, and strong partnerships, ensuring that every agency plays a role in protecting those at risk. I think Windsor is a best practice, and we set a good example for our jurisdiction,” he says.

Approximately 25 per cent of missing person incidents involve adults, which police say often carry a higher level of immediate risk as they are seeing an increase in cases involving dementia and Alzheimer’s-related wandering cases with more families caring for elderly loved ones at home, often due to cost pressures or limited access to long-term care.